Yuengling plans Oktoberfest at Bethlehem SteelStacks

View full sizeExpress-Times Photo | BILL ADAMSArtsQuest employees take their turn signing the final beam to be placed on the ArtsQuest center.D.G. Yuengling and Son will host an Oktoberfest beginning in 2011 at the SteelStacks performing arts venue in South Side Bethlehem and also sponsor 200 concerts at the Musikfest Cafe, which is under construction at the former Bethlehem Steel site.

The brewer -- which also announced it would make a new seasonal Oktoberfest beer -- plans to hold the festival each year at a 130-foot by 260-foot tent to be called Yuengling Festhalle. The inaugural event is scheduled for the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October next year.

Dick Yuengling, president of America’s oldest brewery, was on hand for the announcements today as workers placed the final steal beam for the ArtsQuest Center, which is to include the Musikfest Cafe and be completed by this time next year.

The C.F. Martin Guitar Co. of Upper Nazareth Township also announced a role in the Musikfest Cafe. The guitar maker is sponsoring a lobby that will show off photos of famous musicians playing Martin guitars.